Illorsuit

Illorsuit – which means “the many big houses” – is located some 100 km from Uummannaq, on the northeast coast of Illorsuit Island. The settlement is situated in a sloping terrain, delimited by high mountains and is therefore divided into two – a northern part with around ten houses, and a southern part featuring other functions and homes. Due to its north-facing location and the high mountains, the citizens do not see the sun from 11 October to 4 March.

Settlement objectives (priority areas, development goals etc.)

As a minimum, the current level of service and housing is to be maintained. Any development should take place to the south. The goal is to continually strengthen and develop fishing and tourism, e.g., by means of versatile production, stable employment, and using the active culture and preservation-worthy buildings for tourism. Furthermore, infrastructure and buildings are to be protected from the terrain (e.g., rock slides) and public institutions established to improve the citizens’ living conditions.

Population and housing

In early 2013, Illorsuit numbered 80 inhabitants. The population increased to 147 in 1999, and has gone steadily down since then. The population is expected to continue to drop, so the planning period primarily calls for replacement buildings in connection with redevelopment.

The settlements of Uummannaq total 509 homes (2010 figures). In 2013, the settlements numbered 359 households and a total of 972 inhabitants. This corresponds to an average household size of 2.7 persons, which is higher than in the town of Uummannaq (2.2). Houses are all single-family houses. Typically, many of the houses are in need of rehabilitation or redevelopment and quite a few are empty.

Because of its low location in the terrain, the settlement is challenged by difficult foundation conditions, and snowslides are a common occurrence. In the northern part of the settlement, the coast is being eroded, posing a future threat to the houses and road in the area to be considered in terms of future residential development. Several buildings in the settlement have also sustained subsidence damage, e.g. the school and the health-care station. The remaining capacity of the existing residential areas is considered sufficient, corresponding to some 60 homes.

Industry and port facilities

The primary trades are fishing, sealing and whaling. The settlement features a couple of minor production plants that process fish (Greenland halibut) and seal skin. The quay is a pontoon unloading bridge with a small water depth, and boats are moored along the beach unto which boats are hauled.

Jobs in Illorsuit also relate to service functions: the shop, the school, the municipal settlement facilities and office. Tourism also generates jobs. In 2010, the employment rate in the settlements belonging to Uummannaq was 44 per cent, which is two per cent lower than in the town of Uummannaq, but two per cent higher than the average of Qaasuitsup Municipality. Five per cent of the labour force was unemployed, which is lower than in the town of Uummannaq and the municipality as a whole (six per cent).

In the town plan, the remaining capacity for industry and port facilities is estimated to around 7,000 m2.

Infrastructure and services

The settlement’s helistop is located on an even sandy area south of the settlement. Other transport is by sea, using dog sledges or snowmobiles. The settlement has a single wheel track, which roughly extends from the northern part to the helistop and dump in the south. The section of road to Kussinersuaq is worn-down and in need of rehabilitation. Illorsuit also has a couple of short paths.

The power plant and tank installations are located on the coast, slightly north of the quay. Water supply is based on melting ice, and in the summer, water is collected from a river north of the settlement. Day-time refuse and metal scrap are deposited on the dump some 500 km south of the settlement and burned in the open. Night soil is collected in drums and discharged – via the night-soil ramp piping – into a small creek that feeds into the sea. Grey wastewater is discharged above ground. Factory wastewater is discharged directly onto the beach. A technical operation is handled by Nukissiorfiit.

On the mountain to the south, poles are established. Telecommunications is handled by TELE Greenland A/S.

Illorsuit boasts a shop, a municipal office, a service house, a nursing station, a village hall, a church as well as a community workshop. Childcare is usually in the shape of family day care.

Education

Atuarfik Aaralik, the settlement school, is located in the southernmost part of town, numbering some 14 pupils in forms 1 through 9 and a library. The school premises are also used for recreational club activities.

Cultural and leisure facilities

The settlement have the following preservation-worthy buildings: (B-37) warehouse – former shop – built in 1919, (B-40) warehouse/coal house built in 1935, (B-42) warehouse/blubber processing house built in 1906, (B-43) warehouse built in 1917 and relocated from Nugssuaq, (B-48) office/lodging built in 1913 and (B-118) church built in 1923. Most of these buildings are located in the same area and, along with the shed (B-44) – privy house from 1886 – they make up a preservation-worthy building environment. Several of the buildings are used by KNI. The cemetery is located south of the settlement, and the soccer field is located on sandy ground north of the settlement.

Cultural and leisure activities are mostly held within the village hall and school.